This appears to contradict Trump's campaign assurances that he would give a voice to America's underprivileged, those who had felt left out by a string of economic recoveries accompanied by anemic or non-existent wage growth as well as deep and polarizing income inequality.

"Improving the childhood environment of economically disadvantaged youth and providing for basic housing, health, and nutrition needs of low-income families advances economic security and upward mobility," writes Melissa Kearney, economist professor at the University of Maryland, in her chapter of a new e-book published by VoxEU entitled "Economics and Policy in the Age of Trump."

VoxEU "A sustained, and ideally strengthened, system of federal anti-poverty programs would make it possible for more children to succeed in school and become productive workers in adulthood," she argues.

The proposed budget includes a $1.4 billion increase for public and private school programs, but cuts funding for before- and after-school programs. It would also cut federal funding for Meals on Wheels, a program that provides daily meals to millions of low-income seniors across the country.

What might this mean in practice?

"Proposals to block grant both the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) and Medicaid threaten to undermine the critical safety net feature of the programs," says Kearney.

That's because this would give states discretion not to expand the programs when they are needed most, like during economic downturns.

"Only with a strong set of support programs and targeted interventions will the United States be able to thwart intergenerational poverty, renew the promise of equal opportunity, and foster shared prosperity," Kearney writes.